DRCMR Logo 300px Color
 

[EXPIRED] A Postdoc in multimodal MRI of infant brain and motor development

Are you interested in understanding how developing brain structure and connectivity shape motor outcomes in infants and toddlers? Do you enjoy working in collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, that bridge brain mapping, computational modeling, and developmental neuroscience? Then you may be the person we are looking for.

The Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) at Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre (Denmark) is seeking a postdoctoral researcher in infant and early childhood multimodal MRI to join the NIBS-CP project. The NIBS-CP project is an ongoing longitudinal study following ~200 infants aged 3-24 months, including infants at risk for cerebral palsy and typically developing infants. Using advanced multimodal MRI and motor assessments at three time points (3-9, 12, and 24 months), the project aims to characterize early brain development, how brain structure and connectivity relate to developing motor function and improve the prediction of motor outcomes. Participant recruitment is nearing completion, and longitudinal data collection is well underway.

You will join the Brain Maturation research group at DRCMR and the broader NIBS-CP team. The group works closely together across projects, and you will  have ample opportunities to interact with researchers working on related developmental neuroimaging studies. We value openness, knowledge sharing, and a supportive research culture. Our work spans multiple pediatric cohorts, covering both typical and atypical development from birth to early adulthood.

In this position, you will contribute to multimodal MRI analyses, longitudinal modeling of brain development and motor outcomes, scientific publications, and collaborative interdisciplinary research activities within the NIBS-CP project. We expect you to take scientific ownership of parts of the project, while also working closely with other members of the team.

Your profile:

You are a highly motivated and dedicated postdoctoral researcher with the following qualifications:

  • A PhD in Neuroscience, Psychology, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field
  • Strong experience with structural and/or diffusion MRI data analysis and/or computational modeling of multimodal neuroimaging data; network-based analysis experience is an advantage
  • Interest and/or experience in early brain development, brain injury, and motor function
  • Good programming skills (e.g., Python, or similar)
  • Good statistical skills; experience with longitudinal analysis and/or predictive modeling is an advantage
  • Ability to work independently, while contributing actively to a collaborative multidisciplinary and international research environment
  • Strong English communication skills

The project will be carried out at the DRCMR, which is a leading research center for biomedical MRI in Europe. Approx. 75 researchers from more than 20 countries and a diverse range of disciplines are currently pursuing basic and clinically applied MR research and its validation with a focus on structural, functional, and metabolic MRI of the human brain and its disorders. The DRCMR is embedded in the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, a large diagnostic imaging department that houses all biomedical imaging modalities at the Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre.

The DRCMR offers a highly collaborative research environment and outstanding research infrastructure for preclinical and human imaging, including six whole-body MR scanners (one 7T, four 3T, and one 1.5T) and a preclinical 7T scanner. The DRCMR also houses a high-performance computer cluster, state-of-the-art electrophysiology and non-invasive brain stimulation laboratories, and dedicated infrastructure for infant MRI studies.

The postdoc project will be supervised by Senior Researcher, Associate Professor Kathrine Skak Madsen, and co-supervised by Associate Professor Melanie Ganz, Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen (https://lnn-ucph.github.io/).

Starting date: 1 August 2026, or soon thereafter.

Salary and Terms of Employment

The position is for 2 years with the possibility of extension. Salary, pension, and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Regions (Danske Regioner) and the relevant professional organization. The salary depends on background education and seniority. Further, supplements can be negotiated. Note that candidates coming from abroad may be eligible for tax reductions. The position is open to applicants of all nationalities. 

We strongly value diversity and aim to create an inclusive and supportive research environment. We therefore encourage all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disability, or religion, to apply.

Application deadline: 16 June 2026 at 23:59 (CET)

Job interviews are expected shortly after the deadline.

Further information
If you have questions about the position or the project, you are very welcome to contact Senior Researcher, Associate Professor, Kathrine Skak Madsen via e-mail at , (phone #: +45 3862 3323).

 

Selected Publications

Recent publications & Pre-prints 

Naiara Demnitz, Oliver J. Hulme, Hartwig R. Siebner, Michael Kjaer, Klaus P. Ebmeier, Carl-Johan Boraxbekk, Claire M. Gillan (2023). Characterising the covariance pattern between lifestyle factors and structural brain measures: a multivariable replication study of two independent ageing cohorts, Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 131,2023, Pages 115-123, ISSN 0197-4580,IF 3.7.

TH Siebner, JD Hove, CF Madelung, OJ Hulme, F Bendtsen, HR Siebner, Flemming Bendtsen, Mads Barløse (2024). No difference in postprandial mesenteric blood flow between healthy younger and elderly individuals, Scientific Reports 14 (1), 8689.

TS Hjerresen, M Bentz, AB Nejad, E Raffin, KW Andersen, OJ Hulme, Hartwig Roman Siebner, Kerstin Jessica Plessen. Performing well but not appreciating it–A trait feature of anorexia nervosa. JCPP advances 4 (1), e12194.

Oliver Hulme, Arne Vanhoyweghen, Colm Connaughton, Ole Peters, Simon Steinkamp, Alexander Adamou, Dominik Baumann, Vincent Ginis, Bert Verbruggen, James Price, and Benjamin Skjold (2023). Reply to “The Limitations of Growth-Optimal Approaches to Decision Making Under Uncertainty”. Econ Journal Watch, 20(2) p335-348.

Hulme Oliver J., Roulston Barrie, Overgaard Morten (2023). Does report modality modulate psychophysical sensitivity? The jury remains out. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1226588.

Thorup AAE,… Hulme OJ, … Nordentoft M (2022). The Danish High-Risk and Resilience Study-VIA 15 - A Study Protocol for the Third Clinical Assessment of a Cohort of 522 Children Born to Parents Diagnosed With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder and Population-Based Controls. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Lopez-Yepez JS, Martin J, Hulme OJ, Kvitsiani D. (2021). A normative account of choice history effects in mice and humans. PloS Computational Biology.

Lopez-Yepez JS, Martin J, Hulme OJ, Kvitsiani D. (2021)
A normative account of choice history effects in mice and humans
PLoS Computational Biology

Meder D, Rabe F, Morville T, Madsen KH, Koudahl MT, Dolan RJ, Siebner HR, Hulme OJ. (2021)
Ergodicity-breaking reveals time optimal economic behavior in humans
PLoS Computational Biology

Morville T, Friston KJ, Burdakov D, Siebner HR, Hulme OJ. (Pre-print)
The Homeostatic Logic of Reward
bioRxiv, doi.org/10.1101/242974.

Morville T, Madsen K, Siebner HR, Hulme OJ. (2021)
Reward signaling in brainstem nuclei under glycemic flux
PloS One

Hulme, OJ, Wagenmakers EJ, Damkier P, Madelung CF, Siebner HR, Helweg-Larsen J, Gronau Q, Benfield TL, Madsen KH. (2021) A Bayesian reanalysis of the effects of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on viral carriage in patients with COVID-19.
PloS One. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245048

Friston KJ, Parr T, Zeidman P, Razi A, Flandin G, Daunizau J, Hulme OJ, Billig AJ., Litvak V, Price CJ., Moran RJ., Costello A, Pillay D, Lambert C. (2020)
Effective immunity and second waves: a dynamic causal modelling study
Wellcome Open Res2020, 5:204 (doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16253.2)

van der Vegt JPM, Hulme OJ, Madsen KH, Buhmann C, Bloem BR, Münchau A, Helmich RC, Siebner HR (2020)
Dopamine agonist treatment increases sensitivity to gamble outcomes in the hippocampus in de novo Parkinson’s disease
NeuroImage Clinical

Faranda D, Castillo IP, Hulme OJ, Jezequel A, Lamb J, Sato Y, Thompson E, (2020)                                                                         
Asymptotic estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection counts and their sensitivity to stochastic perturbation
Chaos. 2020;30(5):051107. doi:10.1063/5.0008834

Friston KJ, Parr T, Zeidman P, Razi A, Flandin G, Daunizau J, Hulme OJ, Billig AJ, Litvak V, Price CJ, Moran RJ., Lambert C. (2020)
Second waves, social distancing, and the spread of COVID-19 across America.
Wellcome Open Res 2020, 5:103 (doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15986.1)

Friston KJ, Parr T, Zeidman P, Razi A, Flandin G, Daunizau J, Hulme OJ, Billig AJ, Litvak V, Price CJ, Moran RJ, Lambert C. (2020)
Dynamic causal modelling of COVID-19.
Wellcome Open Res 2020, 5:89

Friston KJ, Parr T, Zeidman P, Razi A, Flandin G, Daunizau J, Hulme OJ, Billig AJ., Litvak V, Price CJ., Moran RJ., Costello A, Pillay D, Lambert C. (2020)
Testing and tracking in the UK: A dynamic causal modelling study
Wellcome Open Research 5 (144), 144  

Hulme OJ, Morville T, Gutkin B. (2019)
Neurocomputational Theories of Homeostatic Control
Physics of Life Reviews, Jul 19. pii: S1571-0645(19)30100-9. doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2019.07.005  

Hulme OJ, Webb EJ, Sebald A. (2019)
An Introduction to Physiological Economics
Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Experimental Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing. 

Hulme OJ, Kvitsiani D. (2019)
Extending Models of How Foraging Works: Uncertainty, Controllability, and Survivability
Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2019 Jan;42:e43. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X18002017

Hallsson BG, Siebner HR, Hulme OJ. (2018)
Fairness, fast and slow: A review of dual process models of fairness
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. Jun;89:49-60. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.02.016.

Christensen BJ, Schmidt JB, Nielsen MS, Tækkerd L, Holm L, Lunn S, Brediee WLP, Ritz C, Holst JJ, Hansen T, Hilbert A, le Roux CW, Hulme OJ, Siebner HR, Morville T, Naver L, Floyd, AK, Sjödin A. (2018)
Patient profiling for success after weight loss surgery: An interdisciplinary study protocol
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. Feb 17;10:121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2018.02.002.

Larsen KM, Mørup M,  Birknow MR, Fischer E, Hulme OJ,  Vangkilde A, Schmock H, Baaré WF, Didriksen M, Olsen L, Werge T, Siebner HR, Garrido MI. (2018)
Altered auditory processing and top-down connectivity in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Schizophrenia Research. Jan 30. pii: S0920-9964(18)30048-3. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.01.026.

Meder D, Kolling N, Verhagen L, Wittmann MK, Scholl J, Madsen KH, Hulme OJ, Behrens TEJ, Rushworth MFS. (2017)
Simultaneous representation of a spectrum of dynamically changing value estimates during decision making
Nature Communications. Dec 5;8(1):1942. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02169-w.

Friis-Olivarius M, Hulme OJ, Skov M, Ramsøy TZ, Siebner HR. (2017)
Imaging the Creative Unconscious: Reflexive Neural Responses to Objects in the Visual and Parahippocampal Region Predicts State and Trait Creativity
Scientific Reports. Oct 31;7(1):14420. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14729-7.

Group Members

Oliver Hulme

Group Leader

Simon Steinkamp

External Collaborators

Prof. Derek Byrne


Dr. Ole Peters


Dr. Alex Adamou


Dr. Mark Kirstein


Dr. Yonatan Berman


Prof. Sten Madsbad


Assoc. Prof. Tobias Andersen


Assoc. Prof. Christoffer Clemmensen


Postdoc Claus Brandt


Prof. Duda Kvitsiani


Adam Goldstein